Remorse and Forgiving
by Otori0
Summary: May contain spoilers from the manga, although not by now. In a future era, Hakuryuu meets Judar, a foreigner. How will his day-a-day with him change Hakuryuu? Hope you enjoy it and sorry if it isn't as good as it should.
1. Chapter 1

01

The sky was filled with a thick and smelly smoke. It mostly gathered around factories or streets with tall buildings, giving the city a disgusting image only full of pollution and darkness. The people who walked across it wasn't any happier either; they were always rushing to go somewhere, not even noticing that the air they were breathing was rotting their lungs, slowly and silently. For them, they were more important things than being healthy, like money or work. Really sad, but true. In any case, they didn't seem to care. They were used to live that way, and not everything was just flaws. The capital, called Rakushou, still conserved some antique structures, typical of chinese culture. Those things were hard to find nowadays, and it resulted really charming as it was.

Another good consecuence worldwide pollution granted was the high and advanced technology. It wasn't strange to see a flying car or moving streets, but that wasn't all. In some parts of the most rich cities, they were energy circles in the ground. Using them, anyone could teleport anywhere as long as they paid. Some people even owned circles like that, but that was really exclusive. The energy that runned all of those inventions was something they called 'Magoi'. No one was entirely sure of what Magoi was, but it was a sort of vital stamina humans had developed through the years. Extracting it from people and gathering it could create massive amounts of energy, which could be used in a lot of ways. Only the countries' leaders knew how this was made, since normal people didn't need to understand it. After all, would they be able to continue living as always knowing the technologies they used each day was made of people's lifes? Extracting Magoi was risky and it wasn't strange at all that someone died on the process. That wasn't necessarily a problem since the people used for that were usually criminals. _Usually._

Hakuryuu Ren was one of the princes that lived in Rakushou. As such, his life was full of luxuries and he had almost everything he wished for. He owned one teletransportation circle aswell, although he didn't use it that much since he didn't get out of the palace enough for it to be useful. He only did when necessary, for example, in the middle of a war. He could escape easily or approach his enemies.

However, living a life full of comfort wasn't what he wanted. He did have a lot of belongings, he could eat whatever he wanted and he was spoiled constantly- well, not him, but his family. Hakuryuu used to lived with the minimum conveniences. Not because he did like it, but he didn't really need them. As longer as he had a proper place to study, that was everything he could care about.

His family was different, more greedy. They took advantage of their blood to have fun each day. There was a huge difference between their rooms and Hakuryuu's. While they had unnecesarily big beds, decorations and valuable objects, no matter how useless they were, Hakuryuu was modest and only possesed a normal bed and a closet. Sometimes his attendants would ask him if there really wasn't anything he wished for, and he just denied it bluntly. Why spending money when he didn't need it? He prefered to save it for important occasions.

Another example of this facet of him was that he always prepared his foods himself. He'd always arrive to the kitchen too soon in the morning and start cooking, making the real cooks feel somehow ashamed. Hakuryuu loved cooking and trying original receipes since he was young .Plus, he didn't like relying in others. If there was something he could do alone without help, he'll do it without considering it twice.

However, doing those kind of things didn't change the fact that he had a very boring day-to-day. He had almost no work since he was just a prince, and no one to be with. He wasn't much of a friendly person due to his distrustful and timid personality, and he liked being alone, even if it sounded gloomy.

That day was an exception. Hakuei, Hakuryuu's sister, was ill, so she requested him to go buy some medicines. She could have asked Seishun for it, but she had some private reasons to not. More exactly, she wanted Hakuryuu to leave the Palace for a bit. If no one did so, he would shut himself for weeks, only reading and studying without going out at all, and that wasn't healthy. Hakuryuu wasn't aware of this so he felt annoyed about it, but he couldn't reject a request from Hakuei, specially with her being sick, so he didn't complain and left.

While walking towards the shop, a thought crossed his mind. Just why did Hakuei send him to buy medicines? With the actual technology, it was much easier than that, and the Palace had a tone of doctors and medical treatments. He realized she must have an ulterior motive, but couldn't get to know what it was. He didn't give it much importance and chose to instead hurry up getting the actually unnecesary medicines. It was a waste of money he didn't like, but if he returned without them, he was certain that Hakuei would scold him. She was like her mother. Thinking about that made Hakuryuu smile a little.

The stores weren't too far away, and he did appreciate that. He walked at a rushed path and entered the shop. He knew the agent from before. He knew almost everyone in Rakushou, mostly thanks to his sister, who would drag him everywhere when they were kids. His sister, and also _them_. Beautiful yet painful memories.

''Hello,'' Hakuryuu greeted the seller with a little smile, ''Long time no see.''

''Hey! How's life going!?'' The other man was much more expressive and energetic, but the prince was used to it and grew to like it that way. It made a big contrast with him.

''Well, more or less.''

They talked for a bit, rekindling former memories and moments. Hakuryuu's mood changed noteworthily after having a nostalgic conversation with him. Although he was in very good terms with Hakuei, he didn't have any friends to laugh like that, and even if the agent wasn't the person he wanted to be with the most, he did have fun recalling his younger years with him.

After some minutes of chatting, Hakuryuu got to the point, asking him for the medicines Hakuei wanted.

''It's rare for you to need medicines. Why didn't you just use the ones in the Palace?''

''That's… a good question. I don't know. My sister sent me here.'', Hakuryuu said.

The man smiled while searching the medicines between all the goods in the store.

''I can figure out why she did that.''

''Really?'' Hakuryuu was surprised to hear that, ''Please, tell me.''

''Hm… I think you should think about it yourself. After all, you are the closest one to Hakuei, Seishun aside.''

Hakuryuu lowered his head, reflecting. He was right. He had to be the one understanding his sister. However, was it such a vital issue? She just asked his brother to buy some medications. He thought it was meaningless to bash his head up like that.

Minutes later, the agent gave him the medicines. When Hakuryuu tried to pay for them, he rejected the money, saying that his visit was enough for him. The prince didn't know how to answer to this, so he just made up with it and left.

He tried to come back to the Palace as soon as possible. He didn't like the streets: the air was dusty, full of dirt and smoke, and it carried a heavy depressed aura shaped by all the unhappy people of Rakushou. It was hard to walk without noticing the nearly dead people in the corners of the roads, starving and begging for help. Nevertheless, everyone else didn't seem to care much about them. They simply kept walking, thinking about it as something normal. They got used to it, but Hakuryuu couldn't, no matter how. Maybe it was another reason why he didn't get out that often.

As he continued walking, he noticed something strange in an alley. ''It'' was someone laying on the ground. That wasn't strange at all, but he was confused about something else. The boy that was sleeping there wore very unusual and foreign clothings. And on top of that, he was completely clean, not like those poor people with wasted fabrics.

Hakuryuu drew closer to him, lost in curiosity. He was aware of the trouble he could get onto because of this, but he still wanted to know who that boy was. After being close enough to him, he noticed something else. He wasn't wearing any shoes despite his fairly well-dressed lookings, and his face was hurt, covered in light wounds. His life didn't seem to be in danger though.

Hakuryuu hesitated on what to do next. He didn't want to leave the foreigner there, but he didn't know if it was a good idea to take him along. He may be a dangerous person. Then, something changed totally his mind. The boy extended his hand and grabbed Hakuryuu's sleeve while he struggled to say something.

''Food...'', he murmured.

Hakuryuu decided to help him and slowly carried him to the Palace in his back. He was heavier than he imagined, but Hakuryuu was strong enough to take him without much trouble. He thought it might be a bad idea if someone in the Palace saw them. They could make the boy leave, finding him suspicious. That's why Hakuryuu sneaked to his room, trying to not be noticed by anyone. It wasn't easy since they were guards here and there, but he got to do it without being spotted. He left the boy in his bed and covered him up so he could rest. He was in a bad shape despite being safe. He looked really exhausted and his feet were dirty and damaged. Did he walked from his land to Rakushou? Anyway, those clothes were unknown to Hakuryuu, so he couldn't be from any city he knew, and this made the remaining cities to be few.

Hakuryuu suddenly remembered Hakuei being ill, and he left in order to deliver the medicines to her, finding her covered in sheets coughing.

''Are you okay?'' he asked, worried.

''Y, yes, don't worry.''

''Here, I brought the medicines.''

She smiled and took them. Getting ill wasn't generally too problematic, but he didn't look well, so Hakuryuu coulnd't avoid feeling restless. She noticed this and talked to relax him as much as possible.

''Don't make such a face, I'll be healthy in no time.''

Hakuryuu stared at her and nodded, still not sure about it.

''If you need something, just tell me.''

''Yes, thank you. You can leave now, I'll be okay.''

Hakuryuu wanted to stay a little longer, but with a stranger in his room he couldn't afford to do so. With that in mind, he saw Hakuei off and left. Seishun was taking care of her and he knew he could count in him, which made him stop worrying so much.

Back in his room, Hakuryuu was shocked to see the boy was already awake. His eyes were red, an unusual color. He looked to Hakuryuu with an air of hostility, surely distrusting him. Well, the prince felt the same.

''…Who are you?'', the boy asked.

''My name is Hakuryuu Ren. I'm the fourth prince of the Kou Empire. Who are _you_?''

The boy remained silent of some seconds, making Hakuryuu a little bit impatient.

''I'm Judar.'', he finally said.

Judar. Also a foreign name. Hakuryuu sat on a chair, guessing the conversation would be very long. Judar prefered to keep lying on the bed instead.

''Where do you come from? You're clearly not from Rakushou.''

''So this is Rakushou?'' Judar asked.

Hakuryuu was kinda annoyed for having Judar answer a question with another question. He only talked to him for seconds and yet he was getting tired of him already.

Still, he beared with it and answered, ''Yes.''

Judar hummed in assertion. It did look like Rakushou to him, specially due to Hakuryuu's looks and room style.

''Hey, if this is Rakushou,'' Judar spoke, ''do you have any of those… magic things?''

''Magic?'' Hakuryuu was sure such a thing didn't exist. It was a bunch of made up fantasies.

''Yeah! The technology here is like magic. It makes no sense and it's awesome. Same thing as magic.''

Hakuryuu was confused to hear that. For him, their technology was something normal, but Judar talked about it as if it was something extraordinary.

''Uh… do you mean this?'' Hakuryuu took his teletransportation circle and set it on the floor.

Judar's eyes widened, unable to believe what was in front of him.

''Oh my god!'' was everything he could say.

Hakuryuu found his behavior strange, but no longer unpleasant. He liked how he was amazed by things that were natural for him. It was kind of refreshing.

''This is called a teletransportation circle. It lets you move to another place.''

''Can I have one? It looks useful.''

''You can't. This is only for nobles or rich people, and I don't think you are.'' Hakuryuu said in a respectful but clear tone.

''So _you_ are?''

''Yes, I'm a prince.''

Judar was even more surprised after knowing this. He'd never met a prince or noble before and it was weird, he didn't know how to react.

''Well… That doesn't matter, does it?'' Judar said. ''I mean, prince or not, that's not why I'm here.''

''Good'', Hakuryuu thought, guessing he was at last going to talk about himself.

Even if Hakuryuu felt at ease speaking with him now, he didn't trust him at all yet.

''I come from a countryside. This is my first time in a large city like this. I got bored of living there, so I left.''

Hakuryuu listened in silence. He did look like he was from the fields. There, it wasn't unusual to walk barefooted. His clothes also matched with the habitual ones in the countries, aswell as his way to talk, being much less formal than Hakuryuu's.

''Do you plan of living here? I don't think it'll be easy.''

''Why?''

''It's difficult to find where to work.'' Hakuryuu avoided being too harsh. It's not like he wanted to despair Judar, although he would surely don't.

''I can do lots of things.''

''What can you do?''

''Hunt wild animals!''

''…''

Judar was puzzled to see Hakuryuu speechless.

''And you expected to find a job by hunting animals?''

''Yeah!''

''In one of the most rich cities in the world?''

''Yes, that's it!''

Hakuryuu sighed at how naïve Judar was. Or maybe silly was the right word to use.

''Hey, until I find a job, can I live here?''

Hakuryuu couldn't be more confused, or maybe he could thanks to Judar. What nonsense was he saying? Living in a Palace, being a foreigner. As if it was so easy.

''You can't!''

''What!? Hey, I'm injured!'' Judar showed him his wounds in his face and feet dramatically.

''I'm sure they doesn't hurt that much.''

''I'm also VERY hungry! I will die!''

Hakuryuu knew he was doing his best to make him pity Judar, but he did have a point. It was cruel to leave him in the street like that. However, Hakuei wouldn't nearly

accept having him there, aswell as everyone else. Maybe Judar's story was all a lie and he was a spy from another city, or maybe he was someone dangerous. Hakuryuu didn't know what to do.

''…Okay, understood.'' he ended up accepting, ''But you'll have to follow the following rules. First of all, don't go out of my room without my permission. It will be troublesome if my sister or anyone else finds you. Second, don't tell anyone you're living here. This is important so remember it.''

Judar clicked his tongue annoyed. Not like he had a better option. ''I don't like rules, but I guess that will do.''

Hakuryuu nodded, not planning on reducing the limitations at all.

''Welp, nice to meet you then. What was your name?''

''Hakuryuu Ren.''

They shoke their hands as greeting. Hakuryuu was unsure if that was the rightful choice, but he didn't sense much malice in Judar. It was a vague instinct he wanted to trust. He just hoped Judar found a job soon enough, since it would be a nuisance to hide him being there, and Hakuryuu wasn't fond of living with another guy.

Both of them were unaware of what would happen because of this. Their lifes would change forever with their meeting.


	2. Chapter 2

02

Hakuryuu and Judar started living together. The first one was very awkward about this but worked hard on hiding it, since he thought Judar would mock him. He'd discovered his usual behavior in no time, and he didn't like it an inch. Judar was almost the total opposite of him. He was carefree and did whatever he want, no matter what the result was. However, Hakuryuu was usually very cautious and analysed the situations before acting in order to choose the most suitable option.

Even while internally complaining about him, the prince never argued with Judar, mostly because he didn't want to spend time getting angry with him. He prefered to waste his hours studying and learning, which, to Judar's eyes, was a lot more boring than arguing. They were also too different on that. The foreign always had something who complain about, even if they were unimportant details. He was specially fussy with Rakushou's manners. He needed to behave like someone from there as Hakuryuu told him, but he hated that. Judar couldn't understand why he couldn't act as always, but Rakushou was a very strict city, and Hakuryuu was aware of the dangers he could suffer from that. People there were very used to pick on strangers, and the fourth prince didn't want his guest to pass trough this, no matter how Judar tried to undo his fears. Not because Hakuryuu was specially worried about him, but to avoid unnecessary problems. Specially to avoid people knowing he was hiding Judar in his room. Gosh, he felt so foolish having to conceal someone. Both of them wanted Judar to be free, but they also knew it wasn't possible, not at the moment at least, until Hakuryuu gained some trust on him.

While he was at it, they spent much time talking. When Hakuryuu was in his room, it was usually to study, but because of Judar that became difficult and he moved to other places, although they discussed a lot at night in exchange. They were tired, but it didn't matter. Judar was curious about Hakuryuu's style of living, and viceversa. Telling stories to each other about them was good; it helped to get closer and was kinda refeshing.

For the meals, Hakuryuu'd usually prepare something and bring it to the room for Judar. Then, he'd either eat it gladly or say ''this is gross!'' and throw it out with no respect for the cook. Normally, they eated in silence except for Judar's complaints, but one day, Hakuryuu remembered something and asked:

''How's your job search going?''

Judar had to make an effort to not laugh. ''Huh? Good, of course.''

''Really? Then, will you find one soon?''

''Uhm… Yeah, sure!''

''That's good.''

Not like Hakuryuu was rushed on making Judar leave, but he did feel better if he found a job and lived somewhere else. The prince had already many things to worry about and Judar just added more pressure to him, so he really wanted to disencumber.

However, those words were obviously a lie. It didn't take much time for Hakuryuu to discover the truth. In fact, not only Judar didn't find where to work, but he didn't even bother searching for one. When Hakuryuu faced him, this was his answer:

''Oh, man! What did you expect!? Those things are too tricky and they make no sense! You have to be a whole hour clicking nonsense to get what you want!'', Judar said while shaking a modern-type mobile phone.

Hakuryuu sighed trying to calm himself down and restrain his urges to punch the other man on the face.

''They aren't that complex. You should have asked me for help if you can't use them.''

''I, it's not like I can't use them! I just don't want to! They're a hassle.''

Of course, Judar wouldn't admit that he had no clue about how to use modern devices. His pride was too big for that.

''…Could you be a little quieter? With how loud you are, it makes no sense hiding you.''

Judar clicked his tongue in annoyance, but he knew Hakuryuu was right, so he remained silent for once. Then, he got a great idea.

''Hey, why don't I join your army? This is an Empire, right? I like fighting and I'm pretty good at it.''

''Don't be foolish, you can't. First of all, you'd need a proper training and I honestly don't think you'd pass it. And you need to be born in Kou in order to join.''

''Huh? That's stupid! Birth has nothing to do with abilities! Can't you do anything about it? You're a prince. Just request them to put me in!''

Hakuryuu sighed once more, slowly getting even more irritated. Nevertheless, after thinking about it for some seconds, he realized that what Judar'd suggested wasn't totally irrational.

''I could do it, but… I can't.''

''What the hell, man!''

Hakuryuu hushed for a moment in order to reflect. Getting on the army by a direct order from a prince wasn't specially hard. However, he doubted if that was a good idea. He couldn't trust Judar yet. What if he really was a spy? Even while Hakuryuu didn't

want to suspect him, he couldn't avoid it. If something happened it would be his fault and responsibility. He couldn't even imagine the consequences of that.

''Let's make a deal.'' Hakuryuu proposed, ''If you proof that you deserve my trust, I'll let you in the army.''

''What do you want me to do?''

''Hm…'' Hakuryuu took a while to think about it since he wasn't so sure himself. They were a lot of ways to show he wasn't a potential enemy, but he wondered which would be the best one. He should deffinitely put Judar's life on the line in order to gain all the belief on him. He didn't think he could really trust him otherwise. However, without any wars happening, this wasn't easy to do.

''I don't mind dying. You can just kill me if I betray you.'', Judar said.

''Well, that's… right. Still, you'll have to wait some weeks. First of all, we need to sign some papers, then…''

Hakuryuu explained everything to him. He didn't seem to understand most of it, but if he knew what to do, that was fairly enough. The process was a hassle and it took a lot of time, but it was worth it. The payment for it was good, too. But above all of it, Judar loved fighting. So it was perfect.

Once they were done with the explanaitions, Hakuryuu started preparing the paperwork on his own since there was no way Judar could do it, and he just lazed around meanwhile.

Little by little, they both got used to live together, and it wasn't that bad. They had a distant relationship of only roommates, but that was enough, and they were both totally fine with that. They did have friendly chats time to time, and joked around (mostly Judar), but they weren't any closer than that.

Hakuryuu also began showing many modern devices to him, since most of them were necessary to live comfortably in Rakushou. Judar was amazed which each one and liked it more than the precedent. It was fun for the prince to show him the world, and he learned things too at the same time from Judar. Life in the fields seemed to be hard. There weren't any comodities like there and they weren't nearly as rich as Kou's nobles. Also, they lived cramped and everyone together due to lack of space. Judar liked to complain about that life style, but Hakuryuu suspected that he missed it at least a little bit.

Judar never talked about his family or friends, or the people in his village. Maybe he didn't even have people he cherished. He seemed to be quite lonely. With this on mind,

Hakuryuu ended up wishing to know more about him. He was curious. However, he didn't ask too much, not only because he was usually a shy person, but also because he thinked it might disturb Judar. If he wasn't open about speaking on himself yet, he'd wait until he was. Not like Hakuryuu talked much about personal things either.

After some weeks, the paperwork for the army was all done. Judar assisted to the trainings and became a soldier. However, he had a lot of problems. He was too picky for that job and his bosses didn't like his carefree behavior.

In his first day, he argued with his boss because he didn't like the uniform. At the end, he earned a punch on the face and obviously had to wear the uniform. He was dumb, but he learned quickly, so the following days nothing like that happened again.

When he returned discreetly to Hakuryuu's room, he didn't waste any time before changing to his usual clothes. The military ones were too uncomfortable and he couldn't get used to them. When he was done changing he reported his day to the prince, who made efforts to not laugh at Judar's words.

Hakuryuu really liked that daily life he had now. He had fun with his new friend, although he didn't accept him as such yet, and he learned to communicate better in general. He started talking more and more with other people, including his family or just civilians. He seemed much alive, not like before. Hakuei was also glad to see his improvement, even if she didn't know the reasons. If he was happier, she was it too, no matter why.

Judar got better on fighting, and everyone was proud of him in the army, despite his behavior, which also got better, but was still not enough. His bosses were fond of his abilities, and knew he would be very useful in war. Judar was glad about it too and was excited about conflicts to the point he didn't want to wait a second more. Surely no one was that ready to risk their lifes as him. The thrill of being near to death was what he soughed, being the most fun experience in his opinion. It would be nice if it was something less dangerous, but he was also helpful for Kou, so there was no problem with it. Hakuryuu also accepted it, since Judar got a lot of money from joining the army. Still, war wasn't near yet, so everything was just training, training and more training.

While he was at it, rumours started spreading. It was already strange that no one was suspicious of Judar living there in all those weeks, but it finally happened. Gossips started about why was Hakuryuu in a better mood, or why he would confine himself more in his room, and unfortunately, Hakuei got to hear them and got curious. She didn't ask them for details, but she prefered to talk to Hakuryuu directly.

She approached him when he was alone, cooking the dinner, after she noticed how he was cooking way more food than what was necessary for him.

''Hakuryuu? What's all that for?''

He was startled to hear her voice, since the Palace was usually nearly empty by that time. Still, he made great efforts to hide it and replied in a normal tone.

''Uh… I'm just hungry today. Do you want some too?''

''No, I'm fine.''

Hakuei took a seat near to him and rested her head between her hands, watching him cook.

''Hey, you look bright lately. Did anything good happened?''

''I don't know what're you talking about. Nothing happened really.''

Hakuryuu reflected about it in silence. Maybe he could tell her about Judar. He was afraid about how she would react, but she was his sister, and they trusted each other. If Hakuryuu believed Judar wouldn't harm them, she would trust it. Plus, she'd be a big help if she partaked the secret, and the prince would feel more relaxed too.

However, before doing anything on his own, he wanted to ask Judar. He didn't want to take any action without him agreeing, although he was almost 100% sure he would be okay with it. Hakuryuu could also blackmail him to accept, but there was no point on that. If that was his plan, it was much easier to just tell Hakuei the truth without any waiting. But it clearly wasn't; Hakuryuu wasn't that kind of person.

''Okay,'' Hakuei nodded, ''but you know you can count with me for anything. I'm your sister after all!''

''Yes.'' He smiled briefly, softened by her words. ''I know.''

''Enjoy the meal.'' With these words, she left the kitchen.

Hakuryuu finished cooking and prepared everything to bring it to the room where Judar was already waiting. He would use that chance to ask him about telling everything to Hakuei. With this on his mind, Hakuryuu started walking towards his room. Once he was there, he offered his part of the dinner to Judar, who gladly begun eating without waiting for the other one to even sit.

''This is good! What's its name?'' Judar asked.

''Kung Pao chicken. It's popular here. Is it your first time eating this?''

''Of course.'' He rolled his eyes as if Hakuryuu'd asked something too obvious, ''How would I eat this if not? It looks expensive.''

''It isn't…''

They spoke as they ate, enjoying typicall conversations without much meaning. After that, Hakuryuu entered the conversation he was waiting.

''I've got a sister called Hakuei. I think I've mentioned her before.''

''Huh? Maybe. I don't remember.''

Hakuryuu sighed, not surprised about his carefree words. He got used to them already.

''…I want to tell her about you.''

''Sure, do it.''

''…What?''

''Huh?''

Judar seemed more confused than the prince, but they both were.

''It was you who wanted to keep me shut-in. Not like I'm hiding here because I want.''

''…You're right, I guess. But I thought you would like to know more about her before agreeding.''

''Not really. I don't care about those things. She's probably another boring noble.''

''What do you mean by ''another''?''

''Just what you're guessing.'' Judar smiled mocking him, but Hakuryuu made sure to return it by kicking him in the leg without much force, although enough to make him complain.

''Okay then, I'll tell her.''

''Fine.''

Hakuryuu felt more relaxed about checking how easy it went. He didn't even need to convince Judar, but he understood it after a while. Judar was right. He wasn't hidden there for choice, so it was normal if he didn't care about being found. It was precisely the prince who was strict about that.

''…I want more Something-chicken.''

''It's called Kung Pao. And I won't make more today.''


	3. Chapter 3

03

Hakuei and Hakuryuu's conversation was longer than expected. She found it hard to believe that someone was living in the prince's room, and undestood that he was better at keeping secrets than expected. However, keeping someone hidden for so much time was awesome. She kinda respected him for being able to feed and take care of the foreign boy called Judar under those conditions. She didn't have any problem accepting him living there, and promised to help Hakuryuu out.

''Thank you, sister.''

''No problem… It must be hard to do this alone. However, you was right about hiding him. If the Emperor learns about this, he might find Judar suspicious and ask him to leave.''

''Yes, that's what I thought.''

''However, hiding him alone only creates rumours, as you've seen. That's why I'll cooperate on that, so you can spend more time studying and acting like before. I'm not on the Palace that much, so it shouldn't be strange if I am missing and am in your room secretly.''

Hakuryuu nodded in agreement. She was totally right. He didn't like the fact that he'd stopped studying much recently, so he was glad to go back to that routine. Still, he had a strange feeling about that. Like everything went way too smoothly. He had always been a worrywart, but this time he really sensed something was off.

Judar met Hakuei soon after. She wanted to know how his looks were, and she wasn't disappointed at all by the moment she met him. His red eyes and long hair were beautiful and rare, and Hakuei stared at him just like he was a living gem, which made him quite uneasy.

''Hello, my name is Hakuei Ren.'', she finally introduced herself after a while.

''Judar here, but I guess you already knew that.''

She smiled and nodded. Hakuryuu wasn't there, so she took her pace to talk to him and sat in order to be more comfortable. Judar didn't like from the start how she was more close than Hakuryuu and seemed to respect less his personal space. Maybe because she was a woman or just because Hakuryuu was shier, but he did like it way more with him. It felt more… natural? He didn't know how to behave with her, although he just talked as he always did, without much care.

Hakuei asked him to tell her about his village. She was amazed to hear about the poor technology he had and all the nature he grew up with, still keeping her calm tone and smile. She had a mother-like aura due to that unwindness.

She also had similarities to Hakuryuu. They both didn't like to talk about themselves too much and prefered listening to others. That was fine by Judar since he loved speaking non-stop.

Hakuei and him soon grew closer, and sometimes Hakuryuu joined them and had cheerful conversations. They had fun together, and they trusted Judar almost fully by the moment. If he planned to betray them, he wouldn't have joined the army. That made no sense. That was their reason to trust him, even if it was kinda naïve for them. Somehow, Judar felt like part of the family already, like he'd always been there. He belonged to Rakushou just as much as themselved, or at least, that was how they felt.

After two weeks, Hakuryuu started considering getting a room for Judar. There was no actual reason for him to him anymore, since he wasn't suspicious now and a lot of people already knew him from his fame in the militia. He consulted this with Hakuei, who was unsure about what to do, just like him.

''It must be difficult for you to keep him in your room so much time, too.'' She said, ''However, if Judar is getting a room, he will leave the Palace, since he's not a member of the Ren family. And if this happens, he'll start living by his own, meaning he'll have to pay everything for himself and take care of a lot of things… and honestly, I doubt he is prepared for that. Plus, the salary he is getting right now wouldn't be enough.''

Hakuryuu thought his sister was right, but he didn't want to continue concealing Judar. Not only because he didn't feel comfortable living with someone, but also because it was a hassle to care about people hearing him, etcetera. It would really be a matter less to worry about.

''Okay'', Hakuryuu gave up with a sigh. ''I will keep him with me. But I'll insist on him saving money so he can leave someday.''

Hakuei smiled, kinda saddened. ''We're going to miss him once he does.''

Hakuryuu didn't answer, but thought about it later. She was right again, although he'd never admit it. Things would get lonely without his daily complaints.

From that day on, the prince started enjoying way more Judar's company, starting to see it like something special that wouldn't last forever. He was the type to regret a lot of things, and he didn't want to regret not having enough fun and memories with him. It was probably the first time Hakuryuu felt so attached to someone so fastly. Judar's lack of care for everything and open behavior was charming in its way, and Hakuryuu got to like it. It was the opposite of him, but they also were similar somehow, or that was what Hakuei said, at least. She noticed Hakuryuu's change more than anyone due to being with Judar, and was happy about it. Judar appearing in his life made a great effect on him, even better that what she'd wished for.

Time passed without any big changes, and finally something happened. Judar was acting more and more close to Hakuryuu, which caught Hakuei's attention, as she decided to question him once they were alone.

''Hey, do you like Hakuryuu?'', she asked him.

''Huh? Yeah, of course. He's an interesting guy.''

She giggled, not surprised by his obliviousness. Judar was always like that.

''I don't mean that kind of liking… Would you like to go out with him? As boyfriends?''

Judar had a puzzled expression like he didn't understand her words at all. That wasn't the case, but he was easily as confused as if it would have.

''What the hell are you saying? That's impossible. Are you in your right mind?''

''As I guessed.'', she shrugged. ''Well, take your time to find out.''

She was definitely having fun from that. She thought it was already time for Hakuryuu to find a girlfriend or a boyfriend, and Judar did seem like a good posibility for him. They made a good couple.

Judar started thinking more and more about her words. He liking Hakuryuu was insane, but not totally impossible. He'd get awkward around him, maybe because of Hakuei's words, and he didn't act like before. Things were getting weird, and he hated that. He cursed Hakuryuu's sister, but he was also a little bit grateful. He was, slowly but constantly, starting noticing those feelings deep inside him, which where a first, and understanding them. However, he still denied any possibility of falling for Kou's prince. His pride didn't allow him to do so, and he also was too shy to admit it.

Hakuryuu noticed his strange behavior but didn't mention it. If Judar didn't want to talk about it, he wouldn't ask either.

Time passed smoothly. They were having a pacific and great moment in their lifes, and no one had nothing to compain about (well, except of Judar, who'd always find something he didn't like). Plus, one more person learnt about Judar. He was found by prince Kouha when he entered Hakuryuu's room in an unexpected moment to tell him some incomprehensible political stuff, but his mouth closed shut in the moment he witnessed the red-eyes man in there.

''Hey.'' Judar said bluntly, ''I'm Judar.''

''Uh… Hakuryuu… Is he your concubine? Didn't know you were in guys…''

''NO WAY!'' The heterocromatic one shouted, making the three of them uneasy.

After that, he explained the situation to Kouha, who promised to not say a thing about it to the rest of the people. Hakuryuu didn't really believe him, but he decided to trust him just for the moment. Not like he could do anything else.

Little by little, Judar was getting closer to the people there, and started enjoying living in Rakushou. Even if he didn't get out too much just in case, he loved the city. The technologies were really impressive for him. Once he took a step out of the Palace, he could see cars flying and exagerately huge buildings. All of it had him amazed. It really was a hundred times better than his obsolete, boring village. He didn't care if there wasn't much nature. Nature was useless after all, and bland. He liked much more all the fuss that envolved the streets. It suited him because he himself was a loud person, and he liked cheerful places. Sometimes, Hakuryuu, Hakuei or Kouha'd tag along with him around Rakushou. His favorite company between the three of them was, without doubt, Hakuryuu's. He liked being with Kouha, even though he was very annoying some times. It was better than being alone, anyway. About Hakuei, he couldn't complain either. She was a calm woman who would listen to his whims at least more than Hakuryuu did. However, he was special. Even if he didn't like Judar's behavior sometimes, he'd walk alongside him nevertheless. He'd listen to him and never make fun of Judar's ignorance when he got something wrong. Even if he did, he'd always expain him his errors soon after with a much more mature attitude than others. Judar loved that.

''Wait, _loved_?'' Judar thought. Did he just assumed he fell for his friend? ''Shit, this is all Hakuei's fault.''

He tried to simply forget everything, but it wasn't easy when he literally was with Hakuryuu each day, except of when he was working or training. His heart'd start beating fastly as nervousness filled his mind up. God, that wasn't like him at all. He never paid attention to Hakuryuu, at least not that much. Now, he couldn't stop thinking about him. It was too annoying. He couldn't even find his fun and freedom in the trainings, as they felt more heavy and unbearable as days passed.

In the end, he undestood that this wasn't making any good. His feelings were totally in the way as long as he couldn't either get rid of them or, maybe, tell Hakuryuu about them. But he was sure as hell that he couldn't do that. His pride wouldn't let him. However, the pain in his chest did nothing but rise.

Nevertheless, things were settled soon enough. One day, they were together in the room, the two of them alone. Hakuryuu said he wanted to talk with him. Judar sat in the bed, not suspecting where the talk'd lead to.

''Hey… Why are you behaving so strangely around me lately?'' Hakuryuu wasn't sure if it was okay to ask, but he was also troubled by the situation.

Judar scratched his nape, uneasy. ''´S nothing.'' He replied coldly. He didn't want to talk about it; it was embarrassing.

Hakuryuu sighed. He wasn't good dealing with those things either, but he wasn't totally oblivious.

''I want you to tell me. Is there something going on? Something you can't talk with me of?'' Hakuryuu's words made Judar sadden a little. He looked truly worried, and he was. ''Please, I just want to help you out. You are my only friend.''

''Friend.'', Judar repeated, pissed off by those words. ''Hey, Hakuryuu, tell me. Would it be bad if we were something more than friends?'' Jesus christ. Literally the worst way to confess to someone. He definitely didn't want to do anything like that ever again.

Hakuryuu stared blankly at him, wordless. ''What do you… mean by that?'', Hakuryuu doubted, confused. He wanted to know what was exactly going on before replying.

''You really are dumb. I like you, Hakuryuu.'' Judar's cheeks were dyed in a soft red, which soon matched with his partner's.

''Huh- Really? I… I don't know what to say, this is the first time I…''

''Yeah, I know.'' Judar interrupted him and added, ''No need to rush. Take your time and think about it.''

Hakuryuu nodded, quite ashamed. Somehow cute. Judar smiled and lied down to get some sleep, although in the end he didn't do so, because the excitement didn't let him. His first confession. Quite sloppy, but a confession anyway. His first love. A lot of new feelings he wanted to know and understand better. But most of all, what kept him awake all night was Hakuryuu sleeping right at his side, breathing softly and without moving much. Judar didn't need to deny it already: he loved Hakuryuu, and now he was actually proud of it. His very first love. He wanted to hear his answer, although he also feared being rejected. Even if that was the result, he'd had no regrets on telling him the truth, since he felt much more relaxed now. It was an awesome feeling, and he didn't want to miss it by sleeping. It would be a waste.

**Sorry if this was more short and rushed. I hope I didn't make a bad job building their relationship. I don't want this fic to be TOO long, that's why things have a fairly fast pace. I did my best so I hope you're enjoying it so far.**


	4. Chapter 4

04

The next morning, Hakuryuu's mind was a mess. He thought about what to say to Judar for a while, but still couldn't arrange his feelings. He didn't dislike Judar. Not at all, to be honest. However, that wasn't the only thing that mattered for him. He had a bunch of reasons to hesitate about going out with him. Being his boyfriend sure sounded nice and all, but were they really in the best situation to become a couple? Judar was out of place on Rakushou. Yes, even if that could be fixed soon enough, it still would be awkward and embarrassing for the prince to keep hiding him in the same room being his partner. Plus, he was way too shy and he didn't think he would be a good boyfriend. He found it really difficult to trust people, and he wasn't suited for serious relatioships. He had been too much time alone, believing only in himself, how was he supposed to show his love and affection to someone so suddenly?

But not even Hakuryuu was able to hold his feelings back for much long, and when he opened his eyes with Judar by his side, he'd feel his heart rush as his cheeks reddened. It was all his fault. If he didn't arrive out of nowhere and started living with him, things wouldn't have ended that way. And even so, Hakuryuu was unable to blame him for anything. How could he? He became much happier after knowing Judar. His life became brighter and he smiled more. That's why, instead of blaming him, he should be thanking Judar. He didn't deserve someone like him. In fact, he didn't deserve to bond with no one.

His decision was made up. He would politely reject him and they would go back to being friends as if nothing happened. That was for the best, or so he thought. He was certain of it, even if he had to struggle to fight the strange, uncomfortable sensation that growed inside him. ''It's okay. This way's much better. No awkwardness, no fear. Just a normal friendship.'', he thought, convincing himself of those words.

He got up to get breakfast before talking with him. There was no need to rush, was there? He wanted to take things easy, even if he was already prepared to reject Judar.

While he was cooking, Hakuei approached him, a smile on her face. She surely knew what was going on his mind even without asking. Even so, she started speaking. ''What did Judar tell you?''

Hakuryuu continued cooking, taking some time to answer. ''What are you talking about?''

Hakuei sighed, kinda tired of their obliviousness. More than his older sister, she was like her mother. ''Didn't he confess to you?''

Hakuryuu almost dropped the spoon he had in hand from the surprise, but was able to

control himself and affirm it to continue his task.

''W, why would he do so?'' He couldn't help but stutter, failing on hiding his nervousness. This only made her chuckle at how adorable her brother was.

''You two are too obvious.'' She said in a soft tone. ''And? What are you going to do?''

Hakuryuu wasn't sure if telling her was the right choice. He was afraid she might laugh at him because of his thoughts and feelings. Even so, she was the only person he could rely on for that, and he did want some advice from someone more experienced.

''I… I don't know. I plan on rejecting him.'' He said quite doubtfully. ''However… I am not sure if that's the right thing to do.''

''How do you feel about him? Do you like Judar as a boyfriend?''

Hakuryuu hesitated, grimacing a bit, still unsure. ''Maybe. Well, I mean, I…'' His face turned red as he realized what he'd just said. He was way too embarrassed. ''…I may do. But there are a lot of factors that…''

''Hakuryuu, listen to me.''

Hakuei sat on a chair, preparing herself for a long conversation. Once he finished cooking he did the same.

''You shouldn't be thinking at the right thing to do. I know you even more that yourself. Even if you want something from the bottom of your heart, you'd refuse it if it supposed any risk. That's just you escaping from your happiness, isn't it? You can't do that, Hakuryuu.''

''B, but, Judar wouldn't be happy with someone like me. He'd regret it soon. I… Someone like me can't… it's just impossible.'' Hakuryuu shook his head in resignation, again giving up.

''How can you say something so selfish? If Judar took the courage of confessing to you, it was because he really loves you and wants to be with you. Even if he doesn't become happy, he really _won't_ if you reject him for such a reason. I won't push you into going out with him. But if you love him, don't run away from those feelings.''

Hakuryuu only stared to the floor. She was totally right, but he couldn't accept it so easily. His head and heart were a mess. He'd never faced something so complicated before.

''Just think about it a little more.'' Hakuei requested, ''I'll be supporting you no matter what you decide to do in the end.''

''Thank you, sister.''

She smiled and patted his head softly before standing up. ''I'll be leaving now. I'll be back later.'' With this, she left the kitchen, leaving Hakuryuu alone with the food

which was cooling. After warming up, he took the breakfast to the room, where Judar was waiting for him.

''Here.'' Hakuryuu gave half of the food to him.

''Thanks.''

They both made some efforts to behave normally, but it wasn't easy, as awkwardness hopelessly filled the room. Suddenly, Judar began talking to calm the waters.

''Hey, Hakuryuu. How was your childhood like?''

The prince hesitated for a moment. It was, for sure, the first time they spoke about their private lifes like that. ''Well… there's not much to say. I was a normal kid, although more reserved than others. I was always hiding behind my mother or brothers' clothings.'' Hakuryuu looked kinda sad while talking, and Judar got more interested because of that.

''Tell me more'', he requested.

''…My brothers were my role models. So corageous, so prideful… they always looked determined to do what they believed that was the correct thing to do. They marked most of my youngest years.''

''Where are they now?''

Hakuryuu clenched his fists in frustation. He couldn't blame Judar for being curious, but he really didn't want to talk about it. Nevertheless, he decided to do it, since it would help him to releive the pain on his chest. It was mysterious. Hakuryuu never opened to no one no matter the reason, but Judar gained his trust in no time and now, he was the most reliable person he could think of. Not even his sister Hakuei saw that side of him before, and he didn't plan on showing her.

''…They perished. My father too, although I wasn't so close to him.'', he said in a low tone.

Judar kept staring at him. His eyes didn't reflect any pity nor sympathy, just curiosity. Hakuryuu was actually grateful about that.

''I don't know who killed them or why. It was just… too sudden. One day, there were alive. The following, they weren't.'' Hakuryuu need to struggle to keep his emotions controled. It was hard not to burst into tears, but that would be too embarrassing, and he didn't want to look pathetic in front of Judar. Unexpectedly, the result was contrary to what the prince was expecting, because his friend was grinning at his pain.

''We are alike.'', he said. ''My parents got killed too when I was little.''

Hakuryuu lowered his head, unsure of what to say. He didn't imagine that they would be in the same situation. Both of them remained silent for a few minutes. Then, Judar

giggled softly to soften the tension. It was a sincere and adorable laugh, and Hakuryuu couldn't help but feel calm and smile too. He didn't regret at all telling his traumas to Judar.

''Well, the past can't be changed, but my shitty story is what got me to be right here now.'' Judar said, ''I bet it's the same for you. And I got to like you the way you are, so maybe it isn't that bad that you grew up like this.''

Hakuryuu blushed hardly at his words, and even Judar himself felt embarrassed. He wasn't used to those things, and showing his feelings wasn't his forte. Again, the air became uneasy, but it wasn't an unpleasant awkwardness. They both felt light and happy, even after talking about such dark things. Somehow, Judar's way of thinking made through the prince and made his own thinkings just a little more optimistic.

''Thank you.'', he muttered.

''Don't mention it.''

Judar also wasn't used to receive any thank words. In his life, no one loved him nor treated him well, except for his parents, who were long gone. It was a nostalgic and refreshing feeling.

The following days were alike to that one. Instant blushes, awkward conversations and mixed feelings. Hakuryuu's answer to Judar's confession still wasn't settled. He didn't want to make Judar wait, but he couldn't make his mind up. Hakuei kept encouraging him on accepting, but he wasn't so sure. He was too afraid of not being enough and disappoint Judar, or he getting tired of Hakuryuu after some time. He didn't feel prepared mentally. However, every time he tried to simply imagine being with him, to maybe hold his hand, kiss or hug him, his face heated up and his heart rate raised. How could he say 'no' to such a tempting idea? It really was difficult.

Nevertheless, the situation didn't remain much longer the same. One day, Judar came back to the room after the training and couldn't wait any more. He was tired of waiting for a proper answer, so he approached Hakuryuu with an unusually serious facial expression and started speaking.

''Hey, tell me already, what do you feel for me? I don't have much patience, you know.''

Hakuryuu bit his lip and looked away, getting nervous. He wasn't good dealing with pressure, and he was about to cry, but restrained himself.

''Hakuryuu, look at me.'' Judar insisted in vain. ''Hakuryuu!''

Noticing that this behaviour was just making Hakuryuu feel even worse, Judar made an effort and calmed himself down. After this, he got closer to his contrary and grabbed his wrist with not much force, finally making Hakuryuu make eye contact

with him. He really was about to cry now.

''I…'', he muttered, voice and lips trembling, ''I am…''

Judar waited in silence and, after a couple of seconds, smiled teasingly. ''''You are'', what?''

''I am… afraid.'' Hakuryuu closed his eyes and continued talking, as hard as it was. ''I think I won't be able to… satisfy you. I am afraid you might… find someone better and leave me…'' The tears were unstoppable now and started flowing across his cheeks.

''Huh?'' Judar let out in disbelief. ''Are you insane?''

Hakuryuu's eyes opened in surprise, ''W, what do you mean?''

''Listen here. I am a selfish, immature guy who started living with you almost forcibly. Anyone but you would have done so much for me. Another person would simply have let me in the street die out of cold and hunger, but you didn't. You shouldn't underestimate you like that! I won't abandon you like that. I'm not such an easy man.''

Hakuryuu smiled faintly at those words, feeling warmer and better than before. ''Really…?'' he hesitated.

Judar cupped his jaw gently and pressed his lips against Hakuryuu in a clumsy kiss as confirmation. Hakuryuu felt his face heat up instantly as his heart begun to race. Judar was very embarrassed too, and after a while he parted away with a blush covering his cheeks, not as bright as Hakuryuu's, who was completely red down the neck.

''I, I… I'm, I…'' he stuttered, totally lost. ''I… Uhm, Judar, I…''

''It's okay,'' Judar fought to repress his laugh, ''you don't have to say it.''

''No, I want to!'' Hakuryuu said more loud than he wanted to, and was ashamed soon after. ''I… Judar, I like you too…''

Judar was very flushed _now_, and he adverted his gaze not knowing what to say.

''T, thanks, I guess…?''

''Y, yeah…''

''T, then…'' Judar scratched his arm in awkwardness. ''…Does that mean that we are… going out now?''

''Y, yes, if you want to…''

''Of course I want to, but… are you sure? You looked very insecure.''

Hakuryuu nodded. ''I was, but… now I realized it's okay to follow my feelings, thanks to my sister and you, so…''

''O, oh, I see.''

''Yeah.''

They were both speechless, filled up with nervousness, but not a bad one. They felt so, so special and happy. They were curious to know what would they face together and what kind of memories would they make, as a couple.

**Yes! At last! Sorry it took me so long, final exams uugh. I hope you like this! We will enter the main plot soon so prepare for it!**


End file.
